


Celebrationem

by APromise



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22186666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/APromise/pseuds/APromise
Summary: "At the first signs of abnormalities, Lucilius paid no attention. The hushed whispers and voices of primals in the Astral laboratories were the last things on his mind. Between scuffles with the moondwellers and the growing nuisance of the Astral High Council, the tired Astral’s responsibilities kept him running ragged from dawn to dusk."On a day like this, Lucilius would've been nose deep in his pile of work, but his two creations have that plan go awry with an idea of their own.
Relationships: Belial & Lucifer (Granblue Fantasy), Belial & Lucilius (Granblue Fantasy), Lucifer & Lucilius (Granblue Fantasy)
Kudos: 24





	Celebrationem

At the first signs of abnormalities, Lucilius paid no attention. The hushed whispers and voices of primals in the Astral laboratories were the last things on his mind. Between scuffles with the moondwellers and the growing nuisance of the Astral High Council, the tired Astral’s responsibilities kept him running ragged from dawn to dusk. 

He was currently working at his desk, scrolls and various papers with mysterious stains on them strewn around. His room is white like all the others in the laboratories, but what makes it different are the multitudes of experiments in jars coloring the shelves in different hues, so many scrolls on the floor that they might as well be carpet, and tall glass windows with a perfect view overlooking the gardens. It’s a view Lucilius is not fond of, which is shown with the drawn velvet curtains blanketing them.

The white walls match with the ivory robes cascading over Lucilius’s body. The robe’s hems are adorned with red and gold, and a shimmering breastplate is placed against his chest. His pale skin glows like silver in the candlelight. His blue eyes match with the bright sky outside those curtained windows, as if mocking him and complimenting him all the same. The room truly is a mirrored reflection of the researcher.

To others the space was a room of chaos, a place to be feared, one to be avoided, all things that gave Lucilius a better peace of mind. 

On days like this he would usually find solace in his solitude, but it seems like the Omnipotent is throwing everything against him more than usual today. Lucilius massages his temples in vain as he looks up at the cause of his vexation. 

_“Belial.”_

“Cilius! How nice of you to notice!” The primal beast grins as he steps out of the shadows of the room. 

His grin only grows wider as he gracefully slides a garnished wooden chair over to Lucilius’s desk. He sits down with ease. Belial’s dark brown hair is slightly tousled and his red eyes gleam harshly against his pale skin. 

He flashes Lucilius another smile, one fang snagged on his pale lips. Lucilius’s frown deepens and he curls his lips up in return. 

“Out with it, cur.” 

At this, Belial leans closer to the white haired man, and despite himself, Lucilius flinches as he feels Belial’s breath on his face. The sly serpent has no intention of giving Lucilius personal space and he takes in every drop of Lucilius’s reaction with pleasure.

“Cilius, Cilius, Cilius. So cold, so straightlaced! Getting right to it even though I’m personally _all about the foreplay_. There’s just something about that denial that makes it all the sweeter…” 

Lucilius doesn’t move as he glares at Belial, head tilted to the side in disgust. He doesn’t have time to cater to the fallen angel’s whims today. 

Belial sees his silence as a sign to go further. 

“And here I was thinking my poor Cilius’s eyes were going bad.” Belial bites his bottom lip, poorly stifling a chuckle. As his eyes flicker from Lucilius to their surroundings, he lets out a low whistle.

“Now, not like being in a dark room with you isn’t unpleasant and all, but I prefer being able to see the show in action. When’s the last time you’ve opened those curtains?”

Before Lucilius can react, Belial extinguishes the candle on his desk and heads towards the windows. Somehow managing not to knock over anything, he rips open the curtains and sunlight shines through.

Lucilius hisses.

_“Belial.”_

“Now now Cilius.” The fallen angel was already back at his side, but just out of harm’s reach. A good call, Lucilius would say, as he’d love nothing more than to wring that smile off his face.

Lucilius takes a deep breath as his eyes blinks dots of light out of his eyes. As much as he wants to curse out the vermin, the stress of his work was getting to him. Dealing with Belial’s antics was only draining him further. Pressing his hand against his temple, Lucilius looks up at Belial with a half-hearted glare.

“What. Do. You. Want. Belial.” 

“Would you believe me if I said I just wanted to see you?” 

“That’s as believable as the High Council getting off their high horses and doing their dirty work themselves.” Lucilius sneers.

“Okay~, you got me,” Belial puts up his hands in mock surrender, “But I was being honest earlier. Sort of.” 

“ _You_ , the primarch of cunning, _‘honest.’_ ”

“It’s all in the details Cilius, sometimes you’ve got to look deeper, _harder_ for it and dig into its core. What fun is there if it’s all out on display?” Belial chuckles.

“But since you’re so stressed, I’ll just get right into it. Lucifer’s calling for you.” Belial waves his hand dismissively.

“Lucifer?”

“Yes, Lucifer, the Supreme Primarch himself. He says he’ll meet you at the entrance to the gardens. Whatever he’s got there seems to be _so_ important that I’m playing messenger boy. Though any time I get to see you is worth it for me.” Belial says as he tucks a white lock of hair behind Lucilius’s ear. 

Lucilius swats his hand away.

“While _you_ may have time to waste, I’ve got things to do, files to report, and who knows what else to get that damned council to stop breathing down my neck. So if you have nothing better to do, go exercise your free will to get out of my sight.”

“Okay~. Though it’d be best not to keep your precious Lucifer waiting.” Belial laughs.

Lucilius’s gaze follows Belial as the primal walks out the door, and his gaze lingers even after the door clicks shut. He looks between his paperwork and the door, and begrudgingly stands up to follow after him.

*** 

“My friend! I was expecting you.” Lucifer exclaims as he guides Lucilius through the garden. 

Lucilius stumbles after the six winged man, poorly managing to keep pace with the other’s stamina. Brambles and outstretched vines cling onto his robe, adding to his irritation. He had left his scepter next to his desk in his haste, so now he can’t even cut through the underbrush. 

Belial had not bat an eyelash when Lucilius had followed him, as if he was expecting it. Flitting around Lucilius while making useless chatter, he had skillfully steered Lucilius through the crowded Astral lab hallways. 

Belial occasionally smiled and nodded at other angels who passed by. Two twin angles, one blonde and the other with black hair, were carrying large parcels and giggling with excited voices. The angels smiled at Belial but their eyes went wide once they caught sight of Lucilius. 

They gave nervous glances at him and clutched the parcels closer to their bodies. Belial shuffled closer to Lucilius’s side, forming a sort of barricade between them. They gave small nods towards Belial and then shuffled faster past the duo. 

Lucilius raised his brows. It was strange, but one look at Belial’s face told him that Belial would tell him nothing. Lucilius scoffed but he let it slide. 

He couldn’t care less. Whatever it was would most likely be a waste of his time. He just wanted to get to the garden, even though it seems Belial had taken the _most_ _complex_ route he could find.

Perhaps the beast did have too much time on his hands, or maybe he was just making poor use of it. Perhaps his core needed readjusting or he needed some sense knocked into him.

Lucilius made a mental note for later. 

Turns out Lucifer _was_ actually waiting at the garden entrance. Tall and radiant with a face matching Lucilius’s. Lucifer smiled as he saw the duo approach. After a few quips and nod in Lucifer’s direction, Belial left the two alone. With that, Lucifer took Lucilius’s hand and led him forward. 

Leading him to the situation he was in now. 

“It was stunning, almost as grand and blue as the skies. In Auguste, the skydwellers...” Lucifer’s voice dies as Lucilius falls on his face. 

“My friend!” Lucifer is at his side in a second. “Are you hurt?”

“...I’m alright Lucifer.” Lucilius says, as he curses the ground for existing.

Lucilius stands slowly, with Lucifer hovering worriedly next to him. As he dusts the dirt off his robes, he catches Lucifer’s expression in the corner of his eye. 

Lucifer is facing him, but it seems his mind is somewhere else. One arm is crossed over his chest and the other is perched under his chin. Lucilius waves his hand in front of Lucifer’s face but all the other man does is tilt his head in return.

“Is something the matter Lucifer?” 

“Hm.” 

“Luci-!?” 

Lucilius barely has any time to catch his breath as Lucifer scoops him into his arms and takes off. 

Wind rushes through Lucilius’s hair as they fly through the trees. They whisk past a pair angels on the ground who are having a picnic, but Lucilius isn’t able to make out exactly who they are as Lucifer soars through the sky. 

All Lucilius can do is cling onto Lucifer and hope to not fall.

When they land, Lucilius is out of breath and his heart is full of adrenaline. Lucifer combs out leaves that got stuck in Lucilius’s hair. Once Lucilius gets his bearings, he looks up at Lucifer. 

“I expect such behavior from Belial, but you?” 

“Ah, well,” Lucifer’s wings quiver as he tries to string his thoughts together. “I thought it’d be faster than walking through the gardens. And I’ve seen Belial carry you so many times, I thought you wouldn’t mind. I am sorry if I made you upset my friend.” Lucifer’s wings droop towards the ground. 

_Belial's a worse influence than he thought._ Lucilius makes another note for later.

“I’m not mad at you Lucifer.” Lucilius sighs, but there’s a small smile on his face. 

He ruffles Lucifer’s hair and then lifts the angel’s chin up. “No need for an apology.”

Lucifer’s wings flutter slightly, but they straighten and Lucifer’s smile returns. Lucilius turns away and looks around. 

In front of them is a grand white gazebo, its white paint making it stand out among the green of the garden. In the center of it is a glass table and two chairs, one of which Lucifer leads Lucilius to sit down in. 

Two white coffee mugs are in the center and bowls are set next to them. Lucilius stares at the arrangement with curiosity as Lucifer places one of the bowls in front of him. 

“What’s this Lucifer?” Lucilius asks, staring at the bowl warily.

“An affogato. It’s a dessert mixed with coffee my friend. After experimenting with coffee, I tried more ways to improve its taste to others. This way it can be enjoyed greatly by people with sweettooths.” 

“Hm, are you implying I have a sweet tooth Lucifer?” Lucilius smirks.

“Hm, are you implying you don’t?” Lucifer meets Lucilius’s smile with one of his own. 

They sit in silence after that, enjoying the breeze and tranquility around them. Both eat their affogatos piece by piece. Lucilius takes this chance to observe the world around him. The few times he has glanced at the garden while walking through the laboratories, he’d never taken the time to truly look a it. 

There’s pink roses surrounded by blue ones, the coffee plants have grown fruitful, and a few ways down there’s a clearing filled with grass swaying in the wind. It all blends together into a harmonious discord that can rival the bells of an angel’s song playing through the blue sky.

An unpleasant feeling creeps down Lucilius’s throat. It’s nagging, scratching, _scathing_ at him, a ringing in his head and a whispering voice at the back of his mind. For some reason this place grates him, and it’s as if the very sky is digging underneath his skin. Lucilius can’t tell why. 

Lucilius glances at Lucifer. 

The voice in his head dims. 

They spend a few more moments like this, when the sound of footsteps breaks the calm. 

The footsteps come from a primal slowly approaching them. 

The primal has short brown hair and red eyes. His skin is white with hints of rose. He is wearing a bronze chestplate but otherwise does not look armed for combat. He seems close to Lucilius’s height. The name of the primal returns to Lucilius’s mind. His name is- 

“Sandalphon.” Lucifer says warmly. 

Sandalphon jumps slightly at the sound of his name, but he quickly composes himself. He stops walking once he in directly in front of the table. 

_Sandalphon._ The name echoes in Lucilius’s head. Sandalphon is the archangel Lucifer created, no particular role in name, but a curious one. Usually, Lucilius pays no mind to the primal, but even his curiosity is piqued as the smaller archangel begins to talk. 

“Lucifer. Head researcher.” Sandalphon nods at the both of them before turning back to Lucifer. “Belial says the preparation are finished.” 

_Belial...? Preparations? This was news to him. The council had not mentioned any new projects, so why-_

“Thank you Sandalphon. I can always count on you.” Lucifer’s voice interrupts Lucilius’s train of thought. 

“So next we have to bring Lucilius to-” 

“Ah but Sandalphon, Halluel and Malluel are still-” 

“Then I think we should-” 

“Care to explain what’s going on Lucifer?” Lucilius brings their banter to a forced stop. For good measure, he takes one last bite of the affogato before placing the bowl back down with a small clatter. 

Sandalphon mouths around words, but says nothing. Lucifer stands up in his place, and speaks up.

“We can’t tell you.” Lucifer says.

“And why can’t you?” Lucilius raises a brow. 

“Because it’s a surprise my friend!” Lucifer shouts this so innocently, that Lucilius doesn’t have the heart to tell him that mentioning a surprise, ruins the surprise. 

“Is...that...so…” Lucilius mulls over how to respond. 

It was not like Lucifer to play games. To Lucifer, the concept of surprise should be limited to surprising enemies on the battlefield. Had he learned another version of surprise? Was it Belial who taught him? They did mention his name earlier after all. Or was it Sandalphon? Though Lucilius struggles to see what knowledge the spare could possibly harbor. 

Lucilius is so entranced by his own thoughts, that it’s only when Lucifer places a hand on his shoulder that he snaps out of it. 

“...Lucifer?” Lucilius tilts his head to the side.

“My friend, I was trying to call out to you but you weren’t responding. I was trying to tell you it’s time for us to be on our way. They’re waiting for you.” Lucifer tells him. 

_‘Be on our way?’ ‘Waiting for me?’_ Lucifer’s words replay in Lucilius’s mind. He is about to question Lucifer once again, but there’s something so earnest in Lucifer’s eyes, that he says nothing.

Lucilius’s brows furrow and his lips turn into a thin line. 

Lucilius has never been a fan of being left in the dark. But this was Lucifer, his perfect creation, a title he would not bestow with no rhyme or reason. Lucifer’s judgment was to be trusted, even if this instance disconcerted him to a degree. Perhaps he is just overthinking things. 

“...Alright then. Lead the way.” Lucilius slowly gets up from his seat. Once again having been lost in thought, he now notices Lucifer had moved back over to where Sandalphon is standing. Lucifer waves, beckoning him over. 

Lucilius walks over to the pair and nods his head at Lucifer, earning a small smile in return from the winged man. Lucifer’s wings flap excitedly as he runs behind Lucilius and covers his eyes. Lucilius hears Sandalphon shuffle over to stand in front of him.

“Sandalphon will lead the way. Sorry if the temporary blindness bothers you, but please bear with it for the surprise.” Lucifer says calmly. 

Once again, Lucilius lets the “surprise” mention slide, and so he just nods. He can’t see Lucifer’s reaction, but notices a light air in the angel’s steps as the trio begin to walk through the garden.

***

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCILIUS!” 

_What in the name of the Omnipotent is this._

Lucilius’s jaw falls so hard, it hits the crimson horizon. 

Lucifer has uncovered his eyes and Sandalphon has stepped to the side, leaving Lucilius alone to decipher whatever the hell is happening. Lucilius tries to quickly scan his surroundings, make some kind of sense out of this nonsense, but that plan quickly gets busted as his vision is clouded with golden confetti and his hearing blasted with rock music. Countless other angels are flitting around the room, smiling and laughing, adding to the noise.

Taking advantage of his disorientation, Belial runs up to Lucilius _from who knows where_ and slings his arms around Lucilius’s shoulders.

“What’s wrong Cilius, never been to a birthday party?” He smooths back Lucilius’s hair as he slides a golden party hat titled, “Canaan’s Best Boy” onto Lucilius’s head. Sensing the growing danger, he jumps away from him with a grin.

_If only Lucilius had his scepter with him..._

Not noticing Lucilius’s glare towards Belial, Lucifer steps in front of him and places a small box in his hand. 

“I learned this custom from watching the skydwellers. I’m still not fully familiar with it, but Belial and I picked this present together for you.” Lucifer steps back and stands proudly besides Belial, and the two look at Lucilius with anticipation. Sandalphon looks on with curiosity.

Lucilius stares at the box warily. Whatever’s inside is a gamble. Lucifer and Belial had chosen the gift together(supposedly), but who knows when Belial is involved. Lucilius opens the box with slowly.

What’s inside turns out to be tame. Inside the box is a necklace with a six winged pendant, three black wings on one side, and three white on the other. The chain is silver with small blue crystals embedded in it. He takes it out of the box and holds it in his hands.

“Pretty nice huh? Though Cilius, you’re supposed to wear it, not just stare at it.” Belial laughs as he takes the necklace out of his hands. He slips it around Lucilius’s slim neck and spins him around. 

“And that isn’t the only present for you either. Seems like Canaan’s best boy is pretty popular!” 

He drags Lucilius to the center of the room where a large table of gifts stands. There’s ribbons, sweets, and so much more stacked all together into one confetti covered death trap. Lucifer and Sandalphon walk over to them and more angels in the room begin to crowd around Lucilius. Belial takes this moment to litter more confetti on Lucilius’s robe and tie ribbons into his white hair. 

Lucilius isn’t amused.

_Forget the notes for later, the time is now_. 

Lucilius digs his nails into Belial’s collar and pulls him down to his eye level.

“ _Belial._ You’ve got ten seconds before I-” 

“Deputy Head!” An airy voice races into the room. 

Belial and Lucilius both turn their heads towards the voice in response. The voice is from one of a pair of messenger angels. Behind her is the other, who is desperately trying to not drop a large parcel. Belial takes advantage of this distraction to slip out of Lucilius’s grip and smile at the duo.

“Looks like we got here in time!” One angel with black hair sets down the parcel carefully onto the already crowded table. Her hair is frazzled but the glint in her blue eyes is full of adrenaline. 

“It can’t be a birthday party without a perfect birthday cake!” The other angel chimes in. Her blonde hair bobs against her face as she flits around. 

“A perfect cake that _I_ had to carry all the way here thanks to Halluel’s antics.” The black haired one pouts. 

“But Malluel! I helped carry it in the beginning! And I carried most of the other packages today!” The blond one, Halluel, pinches Malluel’s cheek playfully. 

Their shuffling is causing the table to shake, but it doesn’t seem like the two have noticed. Lucilius takes a small step back and stands a bit behind Belial. Best case scenario if it falls down, he can use Belial as a shield. And if Belial would falter as a shield from that, then he’s got a whole lot more coming when Lucilius gets to him after all this nonsense is over. 

Ignoring the growing danger standing behind him, Belial nonchalantly waves at the twin angels. 

“Hal! Mal! Great to see you two. I’m guessing it all went well?” 

“It did! Though you almost spoiled the surprise this morning!” Halluel huffs. 

“Yeah! What’s the big idea bringing him through the messenger passageway in the labs! If Head Researcher had seen what was in the boxes we were carrying, the party would’ve been ruined!” Malluel pouts as she joins Halluel in ragging on Belial. 

“My bad, my bad,” Belial chuckles, “I must have mistaken it for the regular corridor. Hopefully you’re not too mad about that Cilius.” Belial pats Lucilius’s head before going back to his banter with Halluel and Malluel. 

The more Lucilius watches their back and forth the more confusion he feels. What is going on? Or is there even a point to ask? Is this all some work stress hallucination? Was something in the affogato? If so, well, at least it tasted good. 

Suddenly everything clicks together.

“Belial interrupting my work...Lucifer’s invitation to the gardens...it was all to stall time for this, wasn’t it?” The realization hits Lucilius so hard, that he feels like kicking himself for not noticing the signs earlier.

While Lucifer has the decency to look guilty, Belial just smiles.

“Ah there’s the genius Cilius that I know. Looks like you caught us, but don’t be too mad, we spent so long getting this _just right_ for you.” Belial grins harder.

“We wanted it to be a surprise my friend.” Lucifer adds innocently. 

_A surprise._

As their creator Lucilius feels as if he should have known what Belial and Lucifer had been thinking, but at the same time, how would a _surprise_ _birthday party_ of all things be his deducted conclusion? It evades all logical thought.

The concept of birthdays is something not entirely foreign to him, but rather a piece of knowledge obtained from his research into the skies. Birthdays are a day of “celebration” of one’s existence, a day that skydwellers seem to hold dear. For Astrals, lifespans easily go by centuries, so such celebration is mostly seen as trivial. There are exceptions, but that mostly pertains to people of higher rankings or people so far up their own egos. 

Lucilius huffs but he doesn’t admonish them further. He won’t say it out loud, but he admits his defeat here. His two creations had gone and outsmarted him, and have put together whatever this cursed carnival of emotion is. 

“Cilius!” Belial calls. He and other angels around the table are waving over at him. “Get over here so you can cut the cake! And- _wait a minute_ , he can’t cut the cake with a double-edge sword Lucifer.” 

“Ah you’re right Belial...Then how about a katana?” Lucifer manifests one from thin air.

“That’s more like it.” Belial and Lucifer high-five. 

Lucilius lets out a long sigh. 

He looks at the scene around him. Chaos, it is. Shouts from archangels laughing, flashing lights, glitter choking the air, and ribbons dancing around in a frenzy. Lucilius clutches the necklace’s pendant in his hand. 

A birthday. A day of celebration. Something that is unheard of for an abnormality to the norm as he.

All of this. It’s idiocy, hypocrisy, a waste of time is what it is, what it should be. A folly that he shouldn’t have been granted his lifetime. Something he should not care for. His chest shouldn’t feel so light. His dark eyes shouldn’t glimmer so much in this brightness.

And yet, 

_he can’t help but smile._

**Author's Note:**

> First I would like to say, thank you for taking the time to read this! 
> 
> This started out as wanting to write a small story about Lucilius having a birthday party, but turned into a 4000 word cluster with a bit of character exploration. It took way too long in my opinion to write, but it was so much fun, that I didn't mind. :) 
> 
> I put a few parallels from the game in this story as well. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed Lucilius's, Belial's and Lucifer's antics and my writing! ^^


End file.
